


A Spool of Gold

by Survivingltgs



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:34:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29118342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Survivingltgs/pseuds/Survivingltgs
Summary: Rumpelstiltskin never dreamed to find his true love, let alone to have her actually love him back.
Relationships: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
Comments: 8
Kudos: 24





	A Spool of Gold

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I have been a long time lurker and reader of RumBelle fan fiction. I have several other works in progress, but I don't think I will post until they are done. I tried for a short, one off due to this little plot bunny that hopped in my head a while ago. It is un-beta'ed, any mistakes are mine alone. Comments are always greatly appreciated. Also shout out to all the other amazing writers here - y'all are amazing.

He never expected to grow fond of his little maid, she was merely part of a deal. He expected her to cower in the dungeon for months, all tears and pleas for her life. Not Belle, she found rather quickly the door was never truly locked. He felt her wandering the castle at night, exploring all the rooms that would open to her. He could hear her counting steps down each hallway and between windows and rooms, clearly she was trying to memorize the castle. It only took a few days before it seemed like she was running the hallways, clear intent of where she was going each time. Rumpelstiltskin left out a brief chuckle as the young girl came to a dead end that wasn’t there before. The girl touched the wall and groaned, “that’s not fair!” She looked around and let out a quiet harrumph and turned around. The next morning Rumple was startled out of his morning tea to hear footsteps coming into his dining room.  
  
“What do you think you are playing at,” the girl came in, her words heated.  
  
“”Whatever are you talking about, dearie,” Rumpelstiltskin voice was high and playful. He tried hard to hide his nervousness of their first true encounter.  
  
“Changing the layout of the castle! I was just getting the lay of the land, and you go and switch it up, it’s not fair.” The girl had marched right up to him and was staring at him intently. “How am I supposed to get to know my new home when you are constantly going to be changing things?”  
  
Rumple could feel his face falter a bit before quickly regaining composure. He jumped up and flitted around the room, “You are supposed to be locked in the dungeon, little maid,” he tried to make his voice sound stern but the giggle at the end was not as threatening as he wanted it.  
  
“The door was unlocked,” Belle shrugged. Shrugged, did anyone ever shrug at the dark one? He couldn’t remember.  
  
“Very clever, girl” he said, “well since you seem to know the castle, I guess it is time to get you to work.” He spent the rest of the morning explaining duties and what was expected of her. She took it all in stride and seemed to rise to the occasion better than expected. 

  


It only took a few months for them to find their routine; she cleaned and served tea, and he tried to stay away from her as much as possible. She was...chatty. She seemed to like talking with him, asking him of his travels when he returned, the things he had seen. He found he liked talking with her. She was intelligent and quick witted. She joked with him and he loved it. It was slow at first, her first joke coming out before she had time to think of who she was talking to. Her face turned a brilliant shade of pink and she turned away and apologized. He had let out a quick low laugh to try and reassure her it was okay.  
She had walked over to the window, the one she had fallen from and he caught her. He had left the curtains pulled back, he found the light played off her hair beautifully, highlighting all the shades of brown. She looked sad as she glanced out the window.  
  
“I hope your stay here isn’t completely horrible,” Rumpelstiltskin said in a toned down voice. “If there is anything you should want for, please tell me.”  
  
“I don’t dislike it here,” Belle said quietly, “But I do miss reading.” Rumple could only see the corner of her eyes, but the tears were unmistakable.  
  
Rumpelstiltskin poofed away in a haze of purple clouds but returned almost instantly, leaving Belle to wonder if he really went anywhere.  
  
“Come,” Rumple held out his arm and Belle tucked her hand in his elbow as he led the way. The door to the room had never opened to her before, he knew it was because of certain books a mortal should never touch. It only had taken an instant to remove the harmful books and sprinkle in a few others he knew the girl would like.  
  
“OH, Rumple,” Belle gasped. She has never shortened his name before in front of him. He wished he could have recorded the breathless tone to his name and play it back late at night. He shook his head.  
  
“No matter, it was just sitting here.” He tried to infuse an uncaring manner in his speech, “I expect your normal duties will not go by the wayside.” He gave her a stern look, but Belle could see a different emotion playing behind his wild eyes.  
  
“Of course not!” she said and stepped inside to explore. Rumpelstiltskin left her to the library and retreated to his tower. 

  


Rumple often found the girl in the sitting room after dinner, curled up on a couch in front of the fireplace reading. He enjoyed the entranced rapture on the girls face as she read about far off lands and wild adventures.  
  
During one particularly bad snow storm Belle noticed a spinning wheel had appeared in the sitting room. She eyed it suspiciously wondering what that meant. After dinner that night she was three chapters in a new book when she heard a soft rustling noise coming from the wheel. She looked up to find Rumpelstiltskin quickly spinning by the fire. A small smile grew on her face at the scene, almost domestic, she thought. Rumple could feel her gaze and looked up.  
  
“It’s warmer than my tower,” he said, answering her unspoken question.  
  
They fell quickly into a new routine, her reading, him spinning, basking in the small noises she made, light laughs, gasps, and the beautiful look on her face when she was deep in another world. 

  


It has been almost a year and Rumple sat at his spinning wheel reflecting on how lucky he had been to make such a wonderful deal. Belle sat on the couch and erupted in laughter. Rumple looked up and found the girl near tears.  
  
“Whatever is so funny,” he asked curiously.  
  
“Oh, this author is great,” she said, still tried to control her giggles, “He has spun Prince Charming and Snow White wonderfully, in this chapter, Snow White set a trap and caught Prince Charming by mistake!” She could see it wasn’t having the same effect on Rumple. She read a quick excerpt and received a small chuckle. She quieted back down and then was surprised to hear Rumples voice.  
  
“Well,” he said, trying to sound disinterested, “Please do continue, I would like to hear how this ends.”  
  
“Okay,” she said tentatively, he wanted her to read to him?  
  
She continued reading and Rumpelstiltskin got lost in her voice, the quiet but strong melody that came from her mouth had him in raptures. He let the story wash over him, bathing in her narration. This went on for almost an hour before he looked down at the gold he was spinning.  
  
Belle stopped and quickly looked up when she heard the gasp that came from Rumple, but when she looked up he was gone, wisps of purple smoke was all that remained. She was sure she would never understand him. 

  


Up in his tower, Rumpelstiltskin examined his “gold” he had been spinning just moments earlier, it was blue. He had no idea where the blue came from, how it happened, or what it meant. He had a lot of research to do. He sat in quiet meditation, the voices of the former dark ones running through his head, all the theories of what the hell was happening clashing together. He jumped from his seat and headed to the book shelf. Books when flying over his shoulder as he rifled through his collection. When he exhausted the books in his collection, still not finding any information he was looking for he turned to the blue spool.  
  
He picked it up carefully, as through it might shock him. His gold usually felt cold, an undercurrent of dark magic coursed through the gold and into his hands as he held it. The blue spool felt different, it felt warm, the warmth seeped into his finger tips, it traveled up his arms. He closed his eyes, the warmth enveloping him. He dropped it suddenly as it reached his shoulders and his heart stuttered. This felt like … he didn’t know if he could even think it, it felt like light magic. He had felt this before, when he made a dealings to do with true love. True love. Impossible. He was a beast, no one could ever love him. He had to send the girl away, she couldn’t know, he couldn’t bear the face of repulsion she would make if she ever found out.  
  
Rumple appeared in front of Belle as quickly as he had disappeared the night before.  
  
“I release you,” he said to Belle quickly and without feeling.  
  
“What?” Belle said she wasn’t sure she heard correctly.  
  
“You are free to go,” Rumple said.  
  
“But our deal was forever,” Belle said, her eyes searching his face. “What of my family, my lands?”  
  
“They will remain protected,” he said, waving his hands dismissively, “I simply have no need for you here anymore.” He magicked a traveling bag and heavy boots to the table. “Your things will arrive wherever you are when you ask for them.” He said, turning on his heel he left the room.  
  
Belle sat in stunned silence. Now what? She did not want to go back home. She didn’t even think of it as home any more. She could travel the world, she thought, but the thought of leaving the castle made her think twice. She made a home here, she was happy with Rumpelstiltskin. She stopped suddenly at that thought, when did she become happy here. She realized how much she had grown to like the odd little man. He was witty and smart and he seemed to care about her. He wasn’t the horrible things that she had read and heard about. She thought of the look on his face as he left, hurt, fear, she couldn’t tell for sure, but she had to know.  
  
She stomped up to his tower. She knew where it was but had never been in before, the door had never opened for her. She stood on the outside, wondering just what she planned to do. She knocked but did not hear any reply. She tried the handle and it gave under her grasp. The door swung open and she found Rumple sitting in the middle of the room, still as a statue.  
  
“Why don’t you want me any more,” she asked. Rumple looked up sharply, hurt in his eyes, but he didn’t answer. “What did I do wrong?” Belle pressed.  
  
“Oh, Belle,” Rumpelstiltskin sounded defeated. “This is no place for you, this dark castle. You deserve better, you deserve the world. Go, travel, see the world, it’s your destiny.”  
  
Belle stepped forward, “Rumple, no one decides my fate but me, and I told you forever when we made our deal. I plan on honoring that if you are going to honor my land’s protection.”  
  
“You deserve happiness,” Rumple said.  
  
“And if I told you I am happy here?” Belle asked, trying to get Rumple to look at her.  
  
“It will end in pain and misery.”  
  
‘What are you-,'' Belle started to ask when Rumple opened his closed fists, revealing the blue spool. “What is that?”  
  
“It happened when you were reading to me,” he said, all the usual showmanship gone from his voice he sounded human. Belle picked up the spool, and Rumple felt the familiar warm growing when she touched his hand.  
  
“It’s beautiful,” Belle said, the blue spool matched her eyes. “What does it mean,” she said in a low, breathy voice.  
  
“I'm not entirely sure, but it has the feeling of true love,” Rumple said, almost inaudibly.  
  
Belle looked up quickly at him. He waited for her face to reveal her true feelings. She took a step closer to him.  
  
“I am willing to try if you are,” Belle said quietly with a small smile spreading on her face.


End file.
